This invention relates generally to computer network-based systems and more particularly to accessing network-based computer systems.
At least some known business entities utilize a variety of network-based computer systems as part of their normal operations of the business. Such computer systems are typically accessed by a variety of employees, and may include, for example, mainframe computer systems and independent legacy computer systems. Typically, an employee will access such a computer system by entering a user ID and a password into a computer workstation that is in communication with the computer system. The user ID and the password are processed by the computer system, and, if recognized by the computer system, the employee is granted access to the computer system.
Typically, each computer system will have its own format for establishing a user ID and a password. Such formats can be different for different computer systems. For example, one such system may only require a four digit user ID, while another such system may require up to seven characters for a user ID. Additionally, at least some computer systems only recognize numeric characters for a user ID) and/or for passwords, while other known systems may recognize both numeric and alphabetical characters.
Employees at business entities which have a variety of such computer systems, may be required to access more than one of these computer systems on a daily, weekly, or less frequently basis. Consequently, these employees are required to remember a specific user ID and password for each computer system. However, the user ID and password for one computer system may be significantly different from a user ID and password for another computer system, and may be in a format that is difficult to remember. If an employee is unable to remember a user ID and/or a corresponding password for accessing a computer system, the employee may be unable to access the computer system and may be unable to effectively perform his or her job functions.